Taipei Confucius Temple, Dalong street

Sorting through tons of pictures captured during my month long winter vacation (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau) is a daunting task. I decided to post randomly and not in any chronological order of the places we visited.

Taipei in winter is lovely with temperatures ranging from 11 to 16 degrees Celsius. On a cold Wednesday afternoon (January 15, 2025) at around 4:20 PM, we alighted at Yuanshan MRT station and walked for about 10 minutes to reach this temple. I was surprised though that the Confucius Temple was empty and devoid of any devotees

This temple located in the Datong district honors one of the greatest Chinese philosophers, Confucius. Born in 551 B.C and surnamed Kong, he was given the first name Qui and the social name Zhongni. Until his old age of 73 (he died in 479 B.C) his life was dedicated to learning and teaching young disciples. He believed in education without discrimination and taught over 3,000 pupils in his lifetime.

Wall of Knowledge and the Pan Pond

He took the word "Ren" (benevolence) as the basis of his thought process. Confucianism his broad and profound teachings has been the cornerstone of Chinese culture for more than 2,500 years with great influence beyond China, reaching places like Japan, Korea, Vietman and even the Western World.

He also valued simplicity and most temples dedicated to him are austerely designed. Emperor Tai Tsu from the Ming dynasty decreed all images of the sage Confucius be replaced with memorial tablets and this rule is still followed to this day.

The Dacheng Hall is the main building of the Confucius Temple, constructed in 1927 and completed in 1929. It enshrines the tablets of Confucius, 4 sages along with 12 philosophers. The hall is as wide as 6 columns and as deep as 7 columns. It was built with 42 huge strong pillars, the hall has ornaments and delicate decorations. The ceiling is an octagonal platform with 24 brackets concentrated in the center also known as a spider web. This architectural style was inspired by traditional architectural art from southeast China.